Soup

Phở Bo (Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup)

April 3, 2012 by The Partial Ingredients

Pho is one of my favorite soups simply because the broth is so flavorful. A while ago I made Pho Ga which is the same soup only made with chicken. Then I went to a local Pho restaurant and the beef pho was just fantastic and I knew I had to try the beef version as well. The pho is seasoned with star anise, cinnamon stick, ginger, and cloves which gives the stock a fragrant and savory aroma. The most important part of making good stock is the beef. Charring the onion and ginger is an important first step for the stock as well and needs to be done over an open flame. I chose to make the stock with 4 pounds of beef neck bones with neck meat and the stock came out really well. Beefy and flavorful, it was one of my favorite stocks I have ever made! I chose some thinly sliced, good quality beef for the actual soup which cooks after pouring the boiling stock over the meat. My second favorite part (the first is the broth obviously) is all the great condiments that mix together in the broth! I chose cilantro, bean sprouts, jalapeno peppers, Thai basil, Hoisin sauce, and Sriracha for the condiments but you can pick and choose whatever you like. Making the stock takes time but it was well worth the effort as the soup turned out great!

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Chicken Kare Udon (Japanese Curry Udon Soup)

March 28, 2012 by The Partial Ingredients

Kare Udon, or Curry soup, is a Japanese noodle soup made with potatoes, carrots and curry roux. Curry roux is a form of instant curry which can be found in most supermarkets. The soup can be made with beef, chicken, pork, or tofu. So far I have made it with beef and tofu so I thought I would try it with chicken next. I really enjoyed this version and the curry flavors were great with the chicken.

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Tomato Curry Stew with Chickpeas and Potatoes

February 3, 2012 by The Partial Ingredients

This stew is a staple recipe for me as it is easy to put together and is healthy and flavorful. When I want something light and healthy this is one of my favorite go to recipes. I use the slow cooker and all it requires is chopping the veggies and throwing everything in the crock pot to cook for about 8 hours. All the veggies get nice and soft and the flavors of the curry marinate until the stew is bursting with good curry flavor. I served it with warm curried rolls and topped with yogurt.
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Pasta e Fagioli (Italian Pasta and Bean Soup)

December 2, 2011 by The Partial Ingredients

Pasta e Fagioli is a traditional Italian peasant soup that translates to “pasta and beans.” It’s a soup that can be made with several types of pasta, usually tubettini, ditalini, or conchigliette. Prosciutto or pancetta is used for the base to give it a nice smoky flavor. I wanted to make a big batch so I used a slow cooker to cook the beans and broth. It turned out great, though I forgot to cut up the rosemary and it should really be finely chopped. Just before serving I mixed in the cooked pasta. I strained the rest of the noodles out before putting it away to prevent them from absorbing all the broth over night. The soup was great with a warm, crusty baguette and grated parmigiano reggiano.

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French Onion Soup

November 20, 2011 by The Partial Ingredients

French onion is a classic soup which I now consider to be one of my favorite soups. The recipe is fairly simple but it takes a fair amount of time and effort to create the perfect french onion soup. It consists of caramelized onions in a beef and red wine flavored broth topped with a slice of toasted bread and melted gruyere cheese. A delicious soup for cold, winter evenings! The key to making a good french onion is the length of time used to melt the onions. I like taking several hours to caramelize the onion until it is melt-in-your-mouth tender and golden brown. The one challenge I discovered early on was chopping 8 lbs of onions–I was crying the whole time! Apparently there is an enzyme in onions that creates an acidic gas when cut and gets in the eyes. I was grateful that this soup turned out to be more than worth the tears and hours it took to create it.

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Creole Split Pea Soup with Andouille Sausage

November 16, 2011 by The Partial Ingredients

After making a good pork roast it’s always great to use the leftovers in a soup. A great way to use the bone from a pork shoulder (or ham hock) is making pea soup. A few years ago I visited New Orleans and I was taken with the flavors they used in their soups and seafood so I decided to try a creole inspired pea soup. I started with a base of onion, garlic, celery, green pepper, and carrots which sauteed in butter until soft. Then I added some creole spices like thyme, sage, oregano, paprika, dried sassafras, and cayenne pepper. The andouille sausage was my favorite twist on the traditional pea soup. The sausage was delicious and had great sweet and spicy flavors.

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Pumpkin Soup with Pancetta and Sage

November 4, 2011 by The Partial Ingredients

This soup is surprisingly easy to throw together and it creates such a delicious aroma in your house! The smell of pancetta and sage slow cooking for hours is how I think a kitchen should smell when it’s cold and damp during the Fall season. You could easily use canned pumpkin or make the pumpkin puree yourself with this soup. Also, substituting any kind of tasty winter squash would work well with this recipe. After dicing up the veggies and pan frying the onion and pancetta, you can sit back as the soup simmers for several hours on low heat. I garnished the soup with a little crispy fried sage and toasted pumpkin seeds.

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Chipotle Lentil and Bean Chili

October 30, 2011 by The Partial Ingredients

October and November, in my opinion, are the best months for soups and chilis. I can’t really get enough of a warm bowl of something tasty during these months. Since I had quite a few leftover ingredients from other meals (e.g. lentils, beans, tomato sauce, cilantro, etc) I figured I should try creating a chili out of what I had sitting around. I kept looking around for more things to throw in and noticed I had some frozen green peppers and jalapenos, so I cut them up and threw them in too. I was very happy with how the chili turned out! This chili does not need an ounce of meat as it is packed with protein from the lentils, kidney beans, and pinto beans. The ground chipotle chilis were great and gave it a more smoky, aromatic flavor. I garnished the chili with sour cream and cilantro, but yogurt would be a good substitute for the sour cream.

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Chicken Noodle Soup

October 20, 2011 by The Partial Ingredients

It was a bit cold and rainy this past week and I wanted something warm and comforting for dinner. Since I had a whole chicken in my freezer, I thought making chicken noodle soup would be a great meal on these cold and damp Fall days. Making chicken noodle soup only requires humble ingredients and a simple cooking process, yet it yields such delicious flavors! You just can’t go wrong with home made chicken noodle soup. The one thing that was slightly disappointing was that I could not find Reames Egg noodles at my grocery store. Instead I opted for the curly egg noodles which were great but not as good as the thick, slightly doughy, egg noodles. It was not too much of a loss though since this soup turned out great anyways. I learned of a new trick to making chicken noodle soup which was adding a 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric to the broth. I really liked how it made the broth pop with color and the flavor of the turmeric was a nice addition to a traditional recipe.

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Lentil Stew with Italian Sausage and Spinach

October 2, 2011 by The Partial Ingredients

I wanted to kick off October with a good fall soup and lentil stew is a perfect fall and winter dish that is both hardy and healthy. I had never tried cooking Italian sausage in a soup before and I was happy with the results. The sausage became very tender through the slow cooking process. This stew is simply seasoned with bay, oregano, and balsamic vinegar. The balsamic vinegar gives a nice depth of flavor and the acidity is very nice. The recipe could be prepared over the stove in a sauce pot instead of a slow cooker, just cook it for 2-3 hours on low. The spiciness of the sausage flavored the broth wonderfully and all this soup really needs is a thick crusted bread to accompany it.

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